Christmas at Hogwarts
by grugster
Summary: Poppy releases Severus in time for the Christmas feast. How will he spend Christmas with Minerva and the others? Sequel to “Taking Care”! SS/MM; PP/AM
1. Chapter 1

_Thanks a lot to my wonderful beta, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my story and improving it._

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_**Summary**: Poppy releases Severus in time for the Christmas feast. How will he spend Christmas with Minerva and the others? Sequel to "Taking Care"!_

_**Dear readers,**_

_Like I promised, I wrote a sequel to my story "Taking Care." It will be 2 or 3 chapters long. Here is the first for you. I hope you like it. Please review to let me know if it is worth it to write on!!!!_

_Sunny_

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Chapter 1 – In the Infirmary**

It was Christmas Eve, and Severus was on his knees in front of the fireplace in the infirmary. Merlin, please let Poppy be occupied with Hagrid for some more time. Why can't that stupid hag move a little faster? he thought, eyeing the jewelry shopkeeper's every move closely.

"How do you like this one, Mr. Snape?" the middle-aged witch, who had a lot of similarity with Trelawney, asked him while holding a necklace under his nose.

"Merlin, I said something with a lion, not with a cat," he spat. But after short reconsideration, he said, "No wait, let me see it again."

The shopkeeper, who had already turned to search for the next item to offer the grumpy costumer, turned back and beamed. "I knew you would like it."

Severus looked closer at the pendant. It was a deep red ruby, surrounded by a curled up golden cat. "I'll take it. Put it on my bill and send it to Hogwarts, addressed to Charlie Weasley."

"Of course, Mr. Snape," the shopkeeper said.

At that moment, Severus felt a cold hand on his shoulder that pulled him out of the fireplace. "What in Merlin's name do you think you are doing, Severus Snape?" Poppy scolded.

Being face to face with the nurse, who had pestered him for the last week, was not how Severus had wished to end his Christmas shopping.

"You didn't let me go to Hogsmeade to buy Christmas presents, so this was my only chance," Severus said, in hopes that Poppy would soften at the realization that he actually planned to really celebrate Christmas this year.

"And the fact that I didn't allow you to go to Hogsmeade made you think that it was okay to worsen your condition by exhausting yourself through flooing?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow.

"First, your glare is not as good as mine. Second, of course, I knew that you wouldn't let me use the Floo network, and therefore I did it surreptitiously." He grinned at her and went back to his bed.

Poppy was shocked at his bluntness. "Severus, that's not funny. The Floo network must have drained your magic," she said while moving over to his bed. She waved her wand over him. "Like I said, you are exhausted."

"Nothing that an hour of sleep won't heal. So I will be a good little patient and do what is necessary." With that, he turned around and closed his eyes.

Poppy opened her mouth to say something, but only took a deep breath and turned to her office. "Insufferable man," she muttered.

Severus grinned, as the nurse left for her office. He had learned how to treat her. I have all I need and an hour of sleep won't hurt. Poppy will be happy that I slept freely, and I will have enough energy for the evening. It's the first time, he was looking forward to the Christmas feast. Minerva and Severus had found a good way to handle their relationship. Severus enjoyed the hours, Minerva spent at his bed to read for him or tell him what happened in the castle. Sometimes they kissed and snuggled together. Poppy did not complain. Once, Alastor had caught them snuggling and pretended to have a heart attack. 'Merlin, rent a room, you two,' he had said while closing the curtains around their bed with a flick of his wand.

Whenever Minerva was around, he felt much better. He did not fear any longer that she just wanted to be with him out of pity. He was looking forward to the first day Poppy would release him because he could finally spend his nights with Minerva as well. Not just the sex; just waking up with her in my arms will be so nice, he thought dreamily. Right now, 'sex' fell under the 'too exhausting activities' that Poppy prohibited. Among it were leaving the infirmary, speaking with Mr. Conner about his detention, and drinking butterbeer with Alastor. I don't even want to think about what Poppy did to Alastor after dragging him out of the infirmary by his ear. Speaking with Charlie about the cretins in the new potions journal and flooing had just been added to that list today.

"You are not sleeping, Severus," Poppy scolded him. She had come back to check on him and was now rummaging in his night table.

"I'm trying."

"Then stop thinking about whatever it is you are thinking about right now. Just close your eyes and relax," Poppy said.

"Yes, yes," Severus answered and closed his eyed again. I have all the presents. Now I will just sleep.

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He woke up to the smell of fresh coffee.

"I knew this would wake you up," Alastor said, waving a cup of coffee at Severus.

"Hmm," Severus purred. "That smells gorgeous." Severus moved the headboard up and took the offered cup of coffee.

"Do you know when Poppy will release you? Charlie wanted to come by in an hour. If you are released before, you should seek him out in the potion lab. He still is brewing the Wolfsbane," Alastor said as he sat down in a nearby chair.

"She said, she would check on me at four o'clock and that if I leave, I would have to be back by midnight. Can you believe that? Midnight! As if I'm a stupid teenager who needs a curfew. And you talk about releasing. I wouldn't call it releasing. It sounds more like parole."

Alastor laughed. "Don't let Poppy hear you."

"Midnight, Alastor! I can't believe it." Severus shook his head.

"I'm sure it's to prevent you from doing what she is calling 'too exhausting activities,'" Alastor said, grinning.

"Very funny, Alastor. That sentence will surely haunt me in my dream for years," Severus said, groaning.

"Drink your coffee and stop sulking. You will have enough time with Minerva, but I'm sure Poppy has already instilled in her what is allowed and what is not."

"You are enjoying this, aren't you? Mock the grumpy Potions master until he blushes. But it won't work, old man. I have learned more in the last few days than I have in the last years about the people around me and how to deal with them. So you won't get me blushing, and if you have to know, I don't plan to do anything exhausting," Severus said grumpily.

"Oh, of course not," Alastor pretended to be shocked. "How could I believe that you are a normal, thinking man, Severus? You have definitely been too long in the company of my wife."

"Minerva would never...." Damn the old codger, he thought when he realized that he was blushing.

Alastor grinned, as Severus groaned in annoyance. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, but you should listen to Poppy. She will find out if you've done anything 'too exhausting' when she checks on you when you return, and I'm sure the blush you would have would beat this one considerably."

Severus sighed. "Oh yes, but I still think midnight is too early."

Alastor laughed again, vanished his empty cup, and stood up. "Tell that to Poppy, and you will be back here immediately after the feast, Severus. It's Christmas. Try to enjoy the time she gave you. Minerva doesn't want a sulking man at her side. I'm sure you will be released, and this time I really mean released, soon." When he saw Severus look hopefully at him, he added, "She didn't say anything to me, but you look much better. Albus and I are already trying to work on having her to let you leave at least in the daytime."

"And how did she react to that idea? Will she even think about it?" Severus asked, agitated.

"I would think about it if you would not only drink coffee, but also eat something," Poppy said, heading in his direction. She had just come out of her office to see if Severus was already awake for his afternoon snack when she realized that her sneaky husband was giving Severus ideas.

"I think I have to go," Alastor said quickly, avoiding the glare his wife was sending him.

"Oh, don't think you'll get away with what you just told him, Alastor," she said dangerously and blocked his way.

"Remember, it's Christmas, my dear. The feast of love and forgiving," Alastor said sweetly.

"Pour your sugar somewhere else," she said sternly to Alastor and turned to Severus. "And for your information, young man, the two old men couldn't convince me to release you in the daytime because only you can persuade me by eating something and following my rules for a change."

Alastor looked apologizing at Severus. "We will see us at the feast." He turned to Poppy and, seeing her stern face, decided to not try to kiss her. "I hope I will see you as well, sweetheart," he said mockingly.

"Impossible old fool," she said and pretended to give him a swat on his bum.

With the quickest jump, he could manage with his peg leg, he darted for the door, laughing. "I love you too, my dear."

When Alastor had left the infirmary, Poppy went over to Severus. She waved her wand over him. "You are much better, Severus, and, of course, I realized that you have been more cooperative over the past days. I am willing to release you for the daytime in a few days, but how you behave today will affect my decision enormously," she said in a normal and friendly tone.

Having the opportunity to leave in the daytime ,and only having to sleep in the infirmary, was so tempting that he did not dare to argue with Poppy about his curfew today. "I will be a good boy, Mummy," he said mockingly, but could not hide his excitement about having the chance to leave the infirmary soon.

Poppy rolled her eyes. "Eat your snack and drink the strengthening potion, Severus. If you want, you can leave after. Do you want me to keep you company while eating?"

"It's not necessary, Poppy. I know you still have a lot to do. Mr. Weasley will come soon," Severus said, already shifting to sit more comfortably in front of his tray.

"Yes, you are right. I have a lot of work to do, and I want to finish it before the feast. You will call me when you start to feel unwell or have any problems, right?"

Severus rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Poppy I have not thrown up in the last three days. And I will not today. I feel well, and you already stated how behaved I have been lately." When he saw her crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow, he added, "Yes, I will call you."

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PLEASE REVIEW!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks a lot to my wonderful beta, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my story and improving it._

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_**Dear readers,**_

_here is chapter two. I__'m starting to write the next one now. Maybe it will be only one chapter until the story is finished, but it also can be that I need two chapters to fit the rest of the plot in. The sequel to this story I have also already started, so I hope you will be happy to hear this._

_To those of you who are reading my others stories as well and eagerly wait for an update, I can say that I have written many chapters while my sick days here at home, but they have first to be corrected by my betas. So there will come a lot of updates soon!_

_Sunny_

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Chapter 2 – Preparations**

"About time you came, Mr. Weasley," Severus said impatiently, as he pushed his barely eaten snack away. "Have you got all I need?"

"Yes, Master Snape," Charlie said sarcastically, bowing theatrically. He could not stop himself from glancing worriedly at the tray full of Severus' afternoon snacks. Severus had not eaten any of the fruits and just had taken one bite of the donut.

"Stop being cheeky, Mr. Weasley," Severus said sternly. After seeing Charlie's glance at his tray, he waved his wand and the food and tea disappeared. "And don't even think about commenting my eating habits. I have enough people pestering me."

"With hardly any effect on you, it seems," Charlie said, already a little scolding.

"Mr. Weasley," Severus growled warningly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know; it's none of my business."

"Exactly. So where are they?" Severus asked while looking curiously at the young red-haired man.

"I have everything, and the last item just arrived a few minutes before I left my quarters." With that, he emptied the pockets of his cloak and tossed several items onto Severus' bed.

"Ah, fantastic," Severus said, grabbing the small jewelry case surrounded by red velvet. He opened it and took the bracelet for Minerva out.

"It's beautiful, Professor Snape," Charlie said, impressed, while leaning over to have a closer look.

"Yes, it is," Severus said pensively. He handed Charlie the bracelet.

"I'm sure Minerva will love it." As the days went by, Charlie felt more comfortable calling his new colleagues by their first name. Minerva was still one with whom he has big problems addressing. Seven years of having her as your strict Head of House were hard to forget. He was amazed at how different all the professors were now that they were his contemporaries. All except the Potions Master and Madam Pomfrey had invited him to use their given names.

He had spent a lot of time with Snape, settling things for teaching and brewing. He had already agreed to let him teach the lower grades and help with brewing for the hospital wing. Alastor had convinced them to play skat with him. Surely, so that we become more acquainted with one another, Charlie thought. Sometimes I wonder who is more manipulative, Albus or Alastor. They usually played a few rounds of wizard's chess or discussed a new potion magazine, at least until Madam Pomfrey found out and scolded Charlie for agitating Snape. He seemed to be a very private man even though it was a lot of fun to talk with him.

Charlie passed the bracelet back to Severus, who placed it carefully back into the jewel case. "I hope so," Severus said, deep in thought. He was a little worried about Minerva's reaction, and he was nervous about how the evening would go.

Severus' glance fell on the old-fashioned book. "The Magic of Healing by Barnaby Miller," Severus read out loud. "It's for Poppy. She loves all his books." He opened it and pointed his index finger at the scribbling on the first page. "Look, I contacted him and asked him to sell me a signed version. And I'll give her this bottle of strong whiskey. She has a soft spot for it, and with a little luck, she will drink it immediately with Alastor and forget about my curfew today."

Charlie had to laugh. He loved Severus' humor. Statements like this made him wonder why he was not allowed to call him by his first name. Would he tell me things like this if he felt uneasy around me? And he still insists on calling me Mr. Weasley. I offered him so many times to call me Charlie, but he never took the offer. Alastor said I had to be patient; that Severus isn't a man who easily opens up to others. He said, I can be quite proud that he can be so relaxed with me.

"I wouldn't count on it, Professor. To be honest, Madam Pomfrey had instructed the whole staff to keep a close eye on you at the feast." Charlie felt a little unwell telling Severus this, but he did not want to hide it from him.

Seeing Charlie's uncomfortable expression, Severus laughed. "Of course she has, Mr. Weasley. I wouldn't have expected anything else from that mother hen."

"I wished you would stop calling me Mr. Weasley, Professor. I always have to force myself to not turn around to see if my father is in the room. Why can't you call me Charlie?"

"Hmmpf," was Severus' only reply. To distract the redhead from the unpleasant topic, he showed him the ancient-looking pack of skat cards. "This is for Alastor. There are small little dark creatures all over them. Alastor will love it. And I hope to see his face when he realizes that they bite when you are careless." Severus grinned impishly, as he mentally imagined the surprised look on Alastor's face. "And he will get this ugly talisman because he collects these kinds of things. It is supposed to guard you from banshees. I am curious to see if it would work on a screaming Poppy as well. Oh, you should have seen her when Alastor sneaked a butterbeer in here for me. It was very scary."  
"Oh, I remember; he told me about it. I'm sure he will give the talisman a try next time something like that happens," Charlie said, laughing.

"Wait until you are on the receiving end of her scolding. You will not speak so lightly about it then."

"Did you forget that I was a frequent patient here during my school days because of my risky maneuvers in Quidditch, Professor?"

"Ah yes, how could I forget? But let me tell you that she is harsher with her adult patients than with the youngsters."

"My ears are ringing, Severus, and that can only mean that my cheeky patient is telling stories about me," Poppy said as she came out of her office and over to Severus' bed. Severus quickly threw the bed covers over the presents, so that Poppy would not see them. She looked worriedly at the big bulge under the sheets and asked suspiciously, "Hiding something?"

"Just Christmas presents, Madam Pomfrey, really," Charlie tried to calm the nurse and prevent her from spoiling the surprise by looking under the covers.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Weasley. We will discuss your part in my patient's forbidden Christmas shopping later." A snicker from the direction of the bed made her turn to Severus.

"What did I tell you, Mr. Weasley?" The stern expression on Poppy's face caused him to put on his puppy-dog look, and it worked again. Merlin, why did I not come up with this earlier? All the women in this castle seem to fall for this face. All except Trelawney, but I do not even want to think about trying it.

Poppy had turned to Charlie again. "Before I forget, you have to see me for the regular staff examination, before classes start. Would ten tomorrow morning be okay with you?"

"Yes, I will be here, Madam Pomfrey. Now, I'd better go." Charlie had the slight feeling that Madam Pomfrey already spotted the empty tray, and she seemed to suspect something. He did not want to be present when she asked Snape about it.

"Oh, no, wait, I will come with you. I just have to take my potion and gather my presents," Severus said quickly. He looked frantically from Poppy to the bulk under the covers to find a way to gather the presents without letting Poppy see them.

"I said you could leave when you finished your snack, Severus," Poppy said while crossing her arms and looking challengingly at him.

Severus looked at the empty tray and back to Poppy. How could she know that I have not eaten it? No, she must be bluffing. "I don't know what you are talking about, Poppy. I have finished it already." He gestured to the tray.

"Oh, really, that's fantastic, Severus. How were the peaches?" Poppy asked sweetly.

"Fine, as well as the chocolate donut." Severus was relieved that he could remember the donut as well.

"I don't know how much of the donut you ate, but I know that you haven't had any peaches, Severus. Where are your good resolutions now? All flushed away by your excitement for Christmas?" she said, scolding, but she was friendly as she moved the tray in front of Severus again. "As much as I enjoy seeing you in Season spirit, I would prefer that you don't neglect eating." One wave of her wand and the plate was filled again, as well as the cup.

"That's more than it was the first time, Poppy," Severus said sulkily.

"You want to complain?" Poppy asked challengingly.

Severus opened his mouth, but closed it without replying. He took one of the apple slices and started to eat.

"Maybe we can fill out some papers for your staff file while Severus is eating, Mr. Weasley." With that Poppy pushed Charlie into the direction of her office.

After fifteen minutes Severus had finished his snack. He drank his potion, packed his presents in a bag and shrunk it. Quickly, he dressed in his usual robes and smoothed the cloth with his hands. I had forgotten how good it feels to have my robes on. Those damn nightshirts are horrible. At that moment, Poppy and Charlie came out of the office and after a quick diagnostic spell, Severus was released until midnight. Or as he thought about it, he got his parole.

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I hope you liked Charlie. :) In the sequel that will follow after this story he will be one of the main characters._

**_Please let me know what you think about the story. I'm addicted to get reviews! _**


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks a lot to my wonderful beta, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my story and improving it._

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.

_**Dear readers,**_

_Okay, the plot was out of my hands yet again. While writing this chapter, Rolanda almost choked me and forced me to give her a bigger role in this story as well. I didn't even knew that they were friends, but she 'convinced' me, and so I will not give any prognoses about the length of this story anymore. Who knows who will attack me next time I write and tell me that I cannot leave him or her out._

_Sunny _

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Chapter 3 – Rolanda's outburst **

After a short visit to his quarters – Poppy would not allow him more than that – he made his way to the Great Hall. Minerva was decorating the big Christmas tree with Filius. She was too occupied with putting tinsel on the branches to see Severus sneak up behind her. Severus encircled Minerva from behind and placed a kiss at the crook of her neck. "Poppy finally let me out on parole," he murmured.

She yelped in surprise and turned around abruptly. That caused tinsel to spray from her wand directly at Severus' head and in his face. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I fear the slight positive effect you had on me to enjoy Christmas has just been destroyed." He pulled the shiny strands out of his hair.

Minerva giggled. "Sorry, Severus, but you scared me," she said as she helped him to pull the remaining Christmas decoration off. She hit him playfully on his chest. "And I told you many times not to sneak up on me. I'm not as young as you are. My heart is racing."

"Your heart is racing because of me?" Severus asked seductively and pulled Minerva in his arms.

"Merlin, has Poppy mixed something in your coffee?" Minerva said, a little surprised by Severus' open display of affection.

Severus felt overwhelmed by the desire to touch Minerva and kiss her, so much that he did not mind the curious looks of his colleagues. Filius had moved around the tree and was watching the scene out of the corner of his eyes. Pomona and Rolanda were not very discreet, and so he could here a "Merlin, Poppy, get the Popcorn!"

"Don't let them mock you, my boy. It's good that you could join us," Albus said as he passed the pair on his way to Filius.

"Oh, of course it's good, Albus," Rolanda said while walking over to Severus, who loosened his embrace with Minerva. "This may become one of the most interesting feasts we've had at Hogwarts." She grinned at Severus and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Good to see you up on your feet again. You gave me quiet a shock. Poppy didn't let me visit you, can you believe that? She said I'm too dangerous, and that I would agitate you. Old mother hen."

"You know her, Ro, she doesn't like what a bad influence you are on me," Severus said sarcastically to his friend.

"Bad influence?" She laughed. "Be glad that I don't tell her who has the bad influence in reality. She would faint if she knew what her little Sevypoo makes behind her back."

"Just out of the hospital wing and already getting blackmailed, Sev?" Pomona asked as she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't let her mock you."

"Oh, great, how do you do it, Severus? Now I'm the bad one _again_. Be sure to get healthy soon so that we can have a little broom race. I need someone to beat again. Charlie is hard to best."

"As if you could ever beat me. I could beat you with my hands bound behind my back. Even now, you wouldn't stand a chance," Severus said challengingly. He really would like to have a race. It would be great to feel the wind in his face after so many boring days in the infirmary.

"Don't even think about it, Severus," Minerva scolded him. "And you, Rolanda, won't tempt him into doing something stupid." She glared at her colleague.

"Oh, look, the lioness is protecting her property. Minerva, Minerva. Tsk, tsk. No place for his old friend Ro any longer?" she said theatrically, but she could feel anger for some reason.

"He isn't my property, Rolanda. What's your problem?" The conversation really was a little too much, even for Rolanda. _Something must bother her a lot. Maybe she doesn't approve of my relationship with Severus, but why didn't she say something before? I told her three days ago what had happened in the infirmary._

"Ach," she spat and made a depreciative motion with her hand.

When she tried to turn away from them, Severus grabbed her by her upper arm. "What's wrong, Ro? Do you have a problem with Minerva and me?" he asked, worried. Of all his colleagues, Rolanda was the one he had been the least worried about not approving of their relationship. He could talk with her about almost everything, and she had mocked him about how 'the quarrel of lovers is the renewal of love' quite before he even knew that he was interested in Minerva. She could not be jealous because Rolanda was a lesbian and Minerva was not her type. Severus was really confused about her reaction.

"You wanna know what my problem is, Severus?" she asked him angrily. "My problem is that I thought we were best friends, and yet everyone was allowed to visit you – except me. And why the hell didn't you tell me what was wrong with you? Is that how you treat your friends?"

"Damn, Ro, I didn't even realized what was wrong with me, how could I tell you about it?" Severus was taken aback by her reaction, and he wished they were not discussing this here. They were both screaming at each other, and their colleagues were gathering around them worriedly.

"Sod you, Severus. You could have _died_ and they wouldn't let me see you. Even Charlie was allowed to visit you, why not me?" She was on the verge of crying now. Severus just stood there, open-mouthed, and did not know what to do. He felt Minerva's grip on his arm and his other colleagues around him.

"That's enough, Rolanda. You are not angry with him, but with me." Poppy strode quickly over to the group of teachers. "I told you that he wasn't in any condition to put up with your bickering, even if it is your normal way of communicating. I feared you would coax him into doing something stupid. I know you two better than anyone else, and that means I also know that you would not have made sure that he rests. All those that I let visit him, and, by the way, that weren't many, I could trust to watch over him." She was standing directly in front of Rolanda now, who seemed to become smaller and smaller with each word Poppy said.

Hearing Poppy's voice pulled Rolanda out of her outburst. She knew she was being unrealistic and unfair to Severus, but she was very concerned about him. Everyone always treated her like a child, as if she would have given him one of the Weasley twins' jokes even when he was lying on his death bed. It was so unfair. _Just because I'm the youngest one on the staff doesn't make me careless or dangerous. Okay, it is me, with whom Severus does the most stupid things with, but just because we have the same humor. _"I...I..." she could not manage to form a coherent sentence.

"You what, Rolanda? Thought you would take the easier way out and scream at Severus instead of me? I didn't hear the whole conversation, but what I heard was enough. If you are angry that I didn't let you see Severus, then direct your anger at me and not at Severus. If you want to ask him about why he didn't tell you about his problems, feel free to do so. I would actually be very glad if you did. But maybe it would be better to have this conversation quietly and in private."

Rolanda averted her face in shame. "I'm sorry, Poppy. I just don't like it when you all treat me like a stupid, irresponsible child that was going to hurt him. I'm his friend, and I'm worried about him."

"If you don't want to be treated like a child, then don't act like one," Poppy scolded, but then stepped forward and laid a calming hand on Rolanda's shoulder. "I know you are worried about him and that you wouldn't hurt him on purpose, but together you two are really like children. You don't always think about what you do. This often leads to dangerous situations, and I couldn't risk it in his condition. Can you understand that?"

Rolanda looked up again and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Poppy."

"I know." With that, Poppy hugged her and said, "And now that's enough screaming from anyone in this room. It's Christmas." When Poppy let go of Rolanda, she turned to Severus. She waved her wand over him and muttered something to herself.

"I left only one hour ago, why do you have to perform one of those spell again?" Severus asked, annoyed. He was glad that Poppy could get Rolanda to be reasonable, but he did not like to be diagnosed in front of everyone.

"Hold still and just let an old woman do what an old woman has to do to calm her nerves. It doesn't hurt you, does it?" she said, not stopping her wand waving. Severus rolled his eyes and growled a little.

Rolanda had found her way back to her normal, cheerful, mocking self, and was now dancing behind Poppy and sticking her tongue at Severus. Severus' eyebrows drew together, but feeling Minerva giggle beside him made him forget his anger and worries. He turned to her. "Can we leave for a while?" he asked pleadingly.

"Tsk, tsk, Severus. What do you have in mind, Casanova?" Rolanda said, back in her full mocking mode.

"I preferred you while Poppy was scolding you, Ro. You really are a pain in my neck," Severus said, groaning.

"Really, Severus? Poppy, you should check him for any neck injuries," Rolanda said, pretending as if she was really worried.

"Stop it, both of you," Poppy said in her no-nonsense voice, and both went quiet.

"Perhaps you two could go and fetch Hagrid," Albus said to Minerva and Severus. "The rest of the staff will arrive soon, and in about forty minutes, our few remaining students will be here as well."

"Yes, that's a good idea, Severus, don't you think?" Minerva asked, linking her arm with Severus and already leading him in the direction of the door. Severus glanced one last time back at his colleagues and wondered what surprises the evening would bring. _I hope there won't be a scene like this in front of the students._

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_**More information about the characters you can find on my profile page!!!**_

_**Like I mentioned in the foreword, this chapter wasn't planed like this. Sometime the characters take over and I can't fight them. I'm satisfied with the result and hope you will be, too. Please don't forget to review. I post this here to get your feedback. Otherwise, I could just write it for myself. So, please don't stop to review!!!! **_


	4. Chapter 4

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_Thanks a lot to my wonderful beta, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my story and improving it._

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_**Dear readers,**_

_the drama comes back to this story. I couldn't resist. _

_I promise I will try to balance between drama and humor very carefully._

_Sunny_

**

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Chapter 4 – Second Thoughts**

When Minerva and Severus came back with Hagrid, all the other teachers had gathered in the Great Hall.

"Ah, finally, our numbers are complete," said Albus, waving in their direction.

"Oh, no, now comes one of his speeches," Severus said, annoyed. He wanted to spend time with Minerva, but he did not have a chance to, until now. He had tried to stop her for a quick cuddle or a kiss several times on their way to Hagrid's hut, but without success. She had told him to stop it and just enjoy the evening. _Enjoy the evening? I was looking forward to meeting her outside the hospital wing. What the hell did Poppy tell her?_ He started to get frustrated.

After Albus had finished his speech – Severus had hardly heard any of it because he was more occupied with feeling Minerva's curves against his body – Alastor came over to them. _Fantastic, the next one to disturb us. _Severus realized that their lack of privacy did not seem to bother Minerva as much as it bothered him. Quite the contrary, she seemed to be relieved. _What's wrong? _Severus was confused and also a little hurt.

"I have to speak with Pomona, Severus," Minerva said, freeing herself from his embrace.

"Miner – " he tried to hold her back, but she was already gone.

"Calm down, Severus," Alastor said. "It's not so easy for her either."

Severus looked up, hoping that Alastor would help him. "I don't understand her. What am I doing wrong?"

"Nothing, Severus, but you have to let her breathe. You know that Poppy has given instructions regarding what is allowed and what isn't while you're on what you call parole, correct?" Alastor tried to calm Severus. There were already enough people watching him carefully. _It wouldn't be good for Severus to lose composure in front of them, let alone later on when the students are here._

"Instructions, instructions. I don't care about instructions. What am I doing? I just want to be near her, and she is pushing me away." Severus was already starting to become agitated.

Alastor glanced worriedly through the Great Hall and realized that his wife was already watching them. "Come on, Severus, let's go for a walk."

Severus sighed, frustrated, but let Alastor lead him out of the Hall. They had walked a few meters when Severus threw himself, back first, against the stone wall. He felt his head crack and for a moment there was only blackness, but Severus did not care.

"Do that again and this conversation will end before it starts, and I will carry you over my shoulder into the hospital wing if necessary. Do I make myself clear?" Alastor said warningly and leaned close to Severus to emphasize his words.

Severus gulped. It was hard to get cross with Alastor, but he realized that he had gone too far. "Sorry, but...." He could not find the right words.

"No, Severus, there are no 'buts'. Hurt yourself in front of me, and you will regret it." His words were not mocking or cheerful like they almost always were when he spoke with Severus. That was what Severus liked so much about Alastor. He could be so relaxed around him. But right now, Alastor was in protective mode. Only worry and anger about Severus behavior could be heard in his voice, and Severus did not like it. He felt more ashamed than he would have felt with any other person at the moment. "I'm sorry, Alastor, really. It won't happen again."

Alastor relaxed and drew his wand. "Damn, I'm no good at healing spells. If Poppy finds out, we will both be in big trouble." Severus felt the pain in his head lessen, and an odd tickle was spreading over the back of his head as Alastor waved his wand. "How are you feeling, Severus? Dizzy? Headache?" Alastor asked him while trying to intimidate Severus with his magical eye so that he would not lie to him.

"I'm fine," Severus lied. He felt very uncomfortable and had to convince himself that Alastor could not read minds with his eye. He was not fine, and he knew it. His head was still hurting, and he already felt a little dizzy, but he also knew that the evening would be over for him, the moment Poppy found out about it.

"You'd better be honest, Severus. I'm sure you don't want to break down in front of the students." Alastor was not convinced, but he wanted to talk with Severus about the problem with Minerva before the students came. That did not leave much time.

"I'm fine. At least my head is fine, but what's wrong with Minerva? Why is she acting like this? She didn't even want to kiss me while we had been alone on the way to Hagrid's hut. Is she having second thoughts?"

"Severus, surely you are taking this the wrong way. I can't see inside her head, but I don't think that she has changed her mind about you."

"She is pushing me away, Alastor. She doesn't want me to touch her." Severus ran his fingers nervously through his hair. _Why the hell do women have to be so damn complicated?_

"I'm sure she wants you to touch her." Alastor grinned. _Why the hell do I feel like I have to tell him about the birds and the bees? _"Maybe, she thinks that she won't be able to stop you and doesn't want to worsen you health condition. Or maybe she doesn't like to show affection in public, Severus. Have you ever thought about that?"

Severus pondered hard about what Alastor said, but before he could reply with anything, the doors to the Great Hall opened and Minerva and Poppy emerged. Quickly, the two women came over to them.

"Everything okay here, Alastor?" Poppy asked worriedly while eying Severus closely. He looked paler than before, but that could be because they were discussing something unpleasant.

"Of course, my dear. Aren't two men allowed to spend some time without their noisy women?" Alastor said sarcastically, hoping to distract her from Severus.

Severus was, meanwhile, looking sadly at Minerva and did not know what to say.

"Could you please give us a moment alone?" Minerva addressed Alastor and Poppy.

"Of course, Minerva," Alastor said, glad to have a reason to move his wife away from Severus.

Poppy glanced back at Severus' pale face and could not make heads or tails out of it, so she let Alastor lead her away.

It was an unpleasant silence that fell over Minerva and Severus when they were alone in the hall. "I don't understand you, Minerva. I thought you wanted to spend time with me, but you're only pushing me away." Severus looked sadly at the floor.

"Severus," she took his hands in hers, "It's not so easy for me. You cannot imagine how much I want to spend time with you, how much I want to touch you and you to touch me, but this isn't the right time. I have no problem with showing our relationship in public and if it was up to me, I would tell the whole world. Please believe me, but right now all eyes are on us, and I'm not so comfortable with being mocked the whole time." She looked sadly at him and hoped that he would understand.

"So it has nothing to do with me?" Severus asked and looked deep in her green eyes.

She had to laugh, even though it was a sad laugh. "It has everything to do with you. If you were healthy, I wouldn't care about all those people in there. Even if they gossiped behind our backs, I would take you to my chamber and spend the whole night and the next days there with you." She had placed her hand on his cheek while telling him her thoughts.

Severus smiled, relived. So she had not changed her mind. She still loved him. "One kiss, Minerva?"

Again, she laughed, and his heart jumped again in his chest. When she leaned into him and kissed him passionately, he felt his legs become jelly. _Merlin, I love this woman_.

Fast running footsteps could be heard through the hall. They came to an abrupt halt near Minerva and Severus. The shocked gasps of the five students that had remained in the castle for the holiday brought Severus and Minerva back to reality.

Severus straightened himself to full high and smoothed down his robe. "Ah, Mr. Conner, exactly the student I wanted to see," Severus said and made a step in the direction of the still dumbfounded students.

The students backed away immediately and were glad that Professor McGonagall stopped the Potions Master from approaching them. "No, Severus, not now. It's Christmas, and the feast will start any minute." She looked at the students and ordered, "Off into the Great Hall, everyone is waiting for you."

Happy to have the opportunity to leave, they headed quickly in the direction of the big, heavy doors to the Great Hall.

Minerva faced Severus again and smiled. "I don't think we have to worry about telling the students about us."

"Very funny, Minerva," he said, not quite in his full teacher mode but with almost all his masks up again.

He had not tried to hide his weaknesses in front of her or Poppy over the last days, and seeing him so easily pull up his masks again made Minerva worry a bit. She decided to let it go for the moment and slowly coaxed him into the Great Hall for the feast. "Come on, let's go eat."

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As always I go on my knees in front of you and beg you to REVIEW!!!!!!!!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks a lot to my wonderful beta, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my story and improving it._

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_**Dear readers,**_

_there is the drama back again. Severus has to suffer, but this time he will manage better than before. So there is a lot of Poppy again in this chapter and less Minerva._

_I have also finished the first chapter of the sequel to this story. It's called "Potions Assistant". I will upload it soon, even when I haven't finished "Christmas at Hogwarts" so far. Their will come two more chapters before I finish it. "Potions Assistant" takes part after "Christmas at Hogwarts" and it isn't necessary to finish reading it before. So I think I will upload it tomorrow! Hope you will like it as well._

_Bye Sunny_

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**Chapter 5 – Break Down**

When they entered the Great Hall, all eyes were on them. Obviously, the students had told the teachers what they saw outside. Severus glared at the students, who dared to look back at him.

Severus disliked eating at the large table with everyone else. _Here, I always have a place where Poppy can watch me very carefully. _He felt dizzy, and the small headache had become a big hammering one. He hoped that the feast would be over soon, so that he could give Minerva and the others their gifts. The food on his plate was long forgotten, and he only played around with it.

"If you don't stop shoving your food from one side to the other, you will have Poppy on your neck soon, Severus," Filius tried to warn Severus in a low voice.

Severus had been deep in thought and so was taken by surprise at Filius' words. His head jerked up, and he winced at the movement. He could hear Poppy's fork being forcefully placed on her plate as if the noise was boosted. _Damn!_ He did not dare to look in her direction, but, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Albus placing a hand on Poppy's arm, gesturing her to wait. Severus let the breath, he was holding, out in relief.

Minerva waited for the chatter of the students to become loud again before she addressed Severus. "What's wrong, Severus?"

"Just a headache, Minerva. It's nothing." He wanted to calm her, and so he looked at her. This, unfortunately, did not have the effect he wanted.

Minerva took in a sharp breath when he faced her. "You look like walking death, Severus." She looked shocked, past Severus, at Poppy.

"Calm down, Minerva. Don't make a fuss," Severus said pleadingly. The students were still chatting, but nearly all the teachers had realized the problem. It was just a matter of time before the students noticed the tension in the air.

"It seems almost all are finished," Albus spoke loudly to get the attention of the students. "So, whoever wants to check for presents under the Christmas tree may do so."

The students jumped up and ran over to the tree. Before Severus could even make an attempt to stand up, he felt Poppy's firm grip on his shoulder. "Stay where you are and hold still, Severus, if you don't want to attract the attention of the students."

Severus knew that his time outside the infirmary was over. He let his head sink forward, closed his eyes, and waited for the sword of Damokles to fall. He could feel the prickle of Poppy's diagnostic spell, and, even worse, he could feel all eyes on him. _You screwed it up again, Severus,_ the evil little voice in his head was telling him.

"Okay, your free time outside the infirmary ends now. Do you think you can make it to the door without collapsing?" Poppy asked sternly, but not unfriendly.

Severus tried hard to fight down the urge to cry in desperation. He leaned forward and steadied his head in his hand with his elbows on the table. _ You can't do anything right, you stupid freak, _the annoying voice in his head said. Severus growled and pulled forcefully at his hairs to make the voice disappear.

Poppy leaned over him. He could feel her chest against his back.

She laid her hands exactly on Severus'. Her head was near his head, and she could speak very clearly in his ear, so that he could not ignore her. "Severus, until now, the students haven't notice that anything is wrong. I want you to ignore the voices if they are in your head. You can force them to leave you alone by coming back to us now and doing what I tell you." She was speaking very calmly and softly to him.

"No potion, Poppy," was all Severus could say. He could still hear the voice, but at the moment, it was far away, and he could only feel Poppy chest rise and fall on his back and her steady breath near his ear. She was his anchor to reality now, and he was glad that she was there.

"No potion, Severus, when you are able to come back to us with my help. I want you to breathe with me, Severus, okay?" Still the monotone, soft voice that already started to soothe his nerves.

"'Kay." It came out sounding more like a sob than a word, but Poppy was satisfied that he reacted. She could feel the invisible spell, Albus and Alastor were holding up on them so that the students could not see them, flicker around her. She would have liked to be alone with Severus because she knew how embarrassed he would feel later to know that his friends and colleagues had seen him like this, but a spell like that would react with the Hogwarts wards, and so they did not have another choice. Right now, she had to concentrate on the actual problem and that was getting Severus out of depression before it turned into a panic attack. Anything else could be left for later.

"Breathe in and out together with me, Severus. Come on, in...and out...." She repeated this until Severus breathing had steadied. Only his growing embarrassment prevented him from looking up. He was back with them, and Poppy could let out a deep breath in relief. "That's it Severus; very good. Try to relax; everything is okay." She slowly and very carefully massaged the tension out of Severus hands so that he let go of his hair.

Poppy's soothing ministrations could not stop the heat that was spreading over his face now in shame. "The students?" His voice was hoarse as if he had screamed for some time. The tension he had produced in his muscles had irritated his throat and vocal cords.

"They cannot see you, Severus. Albus and Alastor have placed an invisible charm on you and me." She could feel some more tension leave his body. "Now let go of your hair, Severus." Her voice was no longer monotone. It was gentle, but definite.

Severus tried to relax his fingers. It was painful because they had cramped, but Poppy sent a flow of healing and relaxing magic through her hands and into his. "Shh, Severus, the pain will go away soon. Please try to move your fingers for me."

Severus did, and when he felt the fingers uncramp, he moved his hands from his scalp to hide his face. Poppy let Severus' hands slip out from under hers, but when she realized that he had placed them in front of his face, she put hers back. "No, Severus, no more hiding. Let's go to the infirmary, okay?"

He nodded and let her remove his hands from his face. _Thank Merlin I have long hair. They will at least give me some privacy now._

"Shall I accompany you?" Albus asked.

Severus could hear his voice very near. _Oh, no, please do not make him come with us, Poppy._

"No, Albus, that would only draw attention to Severus' absence," Poppy said while straightening up and gesturing for Severus to stand up by patting him on his back. "Come on, Severus. Let's go."

Severus steadied himself heavily on the table. The dizziness became worse, and he felt his legs becoming jelly. "Poppy?" he pressed out, worried that he would pass out.

"Okay, okay, change of plans, Severus," Poppy said quickly and pushed him back into a sitting position.

Severus immediately hid himself again in his hands. "Merlin, please, Poppy!" he said, scared because he knew that the only option now was to place him on a stretcher and float him out. He could hear Poppy say, "Albus would you please – " and before he could even think about what that meant, he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and everything went black.

________________________

When he woke up, it was already bright in the infirmary.

"Good morning, my boy. Did you have a nice sleep?" Albus asked cheerfully from his comfortable armchair next to Severus' bed.

Severus groaned and turned his face away from Albus.

"Oh, come now, Severus. I was quite proud of you during your discussion with Rolanda." Albus tried to give Severus the feeling that yesterday had not been all bad.

Severus was still ashamed that he had let those damn voices overcome him. _I am really a mental patient,_ he thought bitterly. "And how proud were you when I broke down in front of everyone at the table?" he spat resentfully.

"Severus, stop," said Albus, rising from his armchair and sitting down on the bed. He laid his hand on Severus' chest, and when that did not provoke Severus to look at him, he gently grabbed Severus' chin and turned his face to him. "Poppy said that she was very proud of how you handled the situation. You reacted to her treatment and fought the voices down yourself. You didn't even need the potion, Severus. And you didn't break down in front of them all; the students did not see anything."

"Oh, what a relief, that only leaves the whole Hogwarts staff," Severus said sarcastically.

"This is also incorrect. Charlie was not there." Albus' eyes were twinkling.

"Merlin, Albus, you know what I meant." He lifted his head and slammed it forcefully down against the cushion, but immediately noticed that it was not a good move.

"Severus!"

_One name, two voices,_ Severus thought, annoyed, and groaned. _A scolding from Albus and Poppy at the same time, I really cannot handle._

"Closing your eyes does not make me vanish, Severus." Poppy's stern voice was directly beside his bed now, and Severus gave in. When he opened his eyes, he could see Poppy hovering over him with a thermometer in her hand. "Which way will it be?" she asked.

He immediately opened his mouth for her to place the thermometer in. Just the memory of how she had once forced him to let her take his temperature made him blush.

When the instrument beeped, Poppy took it out of his mouth and did not look very happy.

Severus mentally moved in into the infirmary with a big suitcase. _I do not like that look._ He did not try to ask what it meant.

Seeing his worried face, Poppy said, "Well, it is slightly up, but I'm sure we will have this under control by tomorrow or the day after. Nothing to worry about, Severus." She placed the thermometer on the night table and drew her wand. "How are you feeling? Any pain?"

"No, I'm fine," Severus said.

"Fine is something else, but it's good when you are out of pain. You have a bad concussion." She started to wave her wand over him, and Severus knew this was his last chance to tell the truth.

"Maybe not completely out of pain," he said in a small voice, and Poppy stopped her wand waving. When he saw her stern face, he closed his eyes.

"Like I said before, I don't vanish only because you close your eyes."

"I know, but at least I don't have to see you and feel like a stupid school boy," Severus said, his eyes still closed.

"You mean like a cheeky schoolboy, who has been caught lying. Now stop sulking and open your eyes. I have to see your pupils."

Severus opened his eyes and hoped the examination would be over soon. "Try to sit up, Severus," Poppy ordered and helped him to sit up by steadying his shoulder.

Severus winced in pain and felt dizzy and sick, but Poppy had a firm grip on him so that he did not fall. "Poppy, I – " She had already placed a bin in front of him when his stomach turned over. Severus always admired how Poppy could do so many things with only two hands, but right now he had other things on his mind.

"It's okay, Severus. It's almost over." One of her hands was on his forehead and she steadied his upper body with hers. Severus felt exhausted and leaned heavily on her. When the last spasms had run out, Poppy slowly placed Severus back against the now raised headboard. She placed a vial at his lips and gently said, "This will settle your stomach, Severus."

He gulped it down and was relieved that she was right. When he opened his eyes again, the bin was already vanished, and Poppy had another vial in her hand. "For the pain and the dizziness."

"Can't you give me a Strengthening Potion, Poppy?" Severus pleaded after drinking the next vial.

"No, Severus, I want you to sleep some more so that the potion for your concussion will work better. We can talk about the Strengthening Potion at dinner," Poppy said gently and took the empty vial out of Severus hand. "Sleep a little, Severus."

And Severus did just that.

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Again I shamelessly beg you to review!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks a lot to my wonderful beta, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my story and improving it._

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_**Dear readers**, _

_I really like this chapter and I hope you will do as well. There is still one to come before it is finished. The sequel is already up and is called "The Potions Master's Assistant".  
_

_Sunny_

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Chapter 6 – Presents**

Severus felt much better after a good rest, and his headache was completely gone. Even so, he tried to avoid sudden movement as he shifted the headboard up.

"You woke up just in time for dinner, Severus," Poppy said while coming over to his bed. "Albus, Alastor, Rolanda, and Minerva will be here soon, and then we can all eat together."

She placed the hated thermometer in his mouth and cast a diagnostic spell on him. "Very well, the Concussion Potion did its job. Are you feeling dizzy?" When she saw Severus shake his head – he still had the thermometer in his mouth – she added, "Headaches?"

Again, Severus shook his head and was relieved when Poppy took the thermometer out of his mouth. "No, I feel well, but can we talk about the Strengthening Potion?" he asked hopefully. He really wanted to have more energy for dinner.

"Yes, if you want, you can have one. Even if I would prefer that you try to eat first and see if that will give you enough energy," Poppy said gently, feeling his pulse.

"I would _really_ like to have it now, Poppy."

"Okay, okay. I will get one for you, but you know that you don't have to hide the fact that you still need rest, Severus," she said softly as she summoned a vial to her.

"Yes, yes, I know," Severus said impatiently and reached for the vial in Poppy's hand. He really wanted to have the potion in his system before the others arrived.

She smiled at him and moved the vial out of his reach. "You promise to rest after dinner even if you feel much better because of the potion?"

"Yes, I will be the perfect patient, Poppy," Severus promised, slightly annoyed.

She handed him the vial and observed him drink the Strengthening Potion. It worked very quickly, and Severus looked more awake now.

"That's wonderful," Severus said energetically. "Where are my clothes, Poppy?"

Poppy looked alarmed and pointed her wand at him. "Severus Snape, I thought we agreed that we were working together now and not against each other. If you think you can trick me into giving you a Strengthening Potion and then use it to escape from the hospital wing, you are very much mistaken."

She had said this in her no-nonsense voice, but could not suppress the shock of Severus' reaction and the slight shiver in her voice. Her wand was pointing in his direction, and she was expecting a violent reaction, but not what happened next.

Severus looked at Poppy and laughed as if he had not done so for ages. Tears were visible at the corner of his eyes, and he held on to his stomach to prevent himself from shaking uncontrollably. When he calmed down a little, he noticed that Poppy was staring open-mouthed at him. "Merlin, Poppy, you should see yourself." Again, laughter overcame him. "I do not plan to run away. I just wanted to give you your Christmas present before the others arrive."

"Christmas present?" Poppy was surprised.

"Yes, 'Christmas'. You know, that crazy celebration yesterday? Maybe you remember that I had to leave the feast before I could give you my present. I left it in my pocket."

"I wasn't aware that you wanted to give me a present." Poppy tried hard to pull herself together after her misunderstanding.

"Yes, I wanted to, now tell me where my clothes are so that I can give it to you while we are in private," Severus ordered impatiently.

"You will stay in bed, Severus," she said, finally back to her normal self again. She opened the night table and asked, "What do you need? Your trousers? Your cloak?"

"My cloak, please." Severus had sat up completely and was watching Poppy rummaging in the night table. She gave it to him, and, after he had found the shrunken presents, he handed it back to her.

Poppy folded it again and placed it back in the drawer. When she turned to face Severus again, he was holding out a bottle with a red ribbon and a package wrapped in gold paper and another red ribbon. She was a little unsure as to whether she should take them. "Severus, you didn't have to give me anything."

"I wanted to. Now take it, or do you want to worsen my condition? That would be very unprofessional." He teased her and tried to hide his own uncertainty. He was not used to giving or receiving presents. Normally, he avoided people at Christmas. The only person he failed to evade every year was Albus with his damn socks, but those experiences did not prepare him for a situation like this.

Poppy took the presents and sat down on the edge of Severus' bed. "Thank you, Severus." She started to open the present, smiling.

Severus was nervous about her reaction and could not bear the tension. So he said, in a low voice, "I wanted to thank you for...everything."

"Merlin, Severus, please stop or I will start crying." She pushed his shoulder playfully and finished opening the present. When her eyes fell on the book, she was speechless. "This is – "

"You must open it. Look," he said as he opened the cover for her so that she could see the personal dedication and the author's signature.

She started to tear up, and Severus was a little taken aback. Crying women were something he did not know how to handle. "Is everything all right, Poppy?"

"Oh, of course, Severus! Merlin, I don't know what to say." She threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Severus. This means a lot to me."

_Oh, please, let her stop soon_. He would even be glad if the others arrived now if it got him out of this situation. He hugged her back uncertainly and realized that it was not such a bad feeling. "It was my pleasure, Poppy. You have done so much for me these past years. I really appreciate it all, even if it sometimes did not appear so."

"Thank you, Severus." She leaned back and looked at him. "Do you want to open your presents as well?"

"My presents?" Severus asked, confused. He had been so engrossed in present shopping and planning that he had not even thought about the possibility that he would receive anything.

"Yes, your presents. You remember, Christmas, the feast yesterday?" she said, repeating his words from a few minutes before.

"How very funny," Severus said, rolling his eyes.

"They're over there," Poppy said, gestured in the direction of a small table on the other side of the room.

Severus was surprised. The small table was filled with presents and sweets. He also saw that the house elves were starting to lay the dinner table that stood in the middle of the room.

"Maybe just mine and Alastor's. You can open the rest when the others get here." With that, she went over to the table and fetched a package wrapped in shiny green paper.

"I hope you like them," Poppy said as she handed him the present and sat down on the bed.

He carefully peeled off the wrapping over three very rare Sherlock Holmes editions that Severus had been trying to buy for ages. "This is fantastic, Poppy. You cannot imagine how long I have been looking for these."

"You have been often and long enough in my hospital wing for me to know what you like to read." She smiled at him, very happy that he enjoyed the gift.

Severus took a deep breath, leaned over, and hugged her gently. "Thank you, Poppy."

"It was my pleasure, Severus," Poppy said kindly, tightening the embrace.

"One moment you ask me for advice about Minerva and the next you are cheating on her with my wife. I'm hurt, Severus," Moody said mockingly when he saw the scene on the bed upon entering the infirmary.

"I would be careful about what I say, o husband of mine, or we will continue our discussion about that healing spell from yesterday," Poppy said warningly as she stood up from the bed.

Moody was alone and was limping over to Severus' bed. "How are you, Severus?"

"Fine. Before you say anything, I want to apologize for not telling you the truth yesterday, Alastor," Severus said. He looked Alastor straight in face, but then averted his gaze down.

"I'll leave you two alone and check on the others," Poppy said, and left the hospital wing.

"Don't worry, Severus. I knew that you weren't being truthful. It was my decision to let it slip and my fault that you didn't get help as soon as should have. I should be apologizing."

That surprised Severus, and he looked up again. "You could not have know how severe it was."

"I knew that I didn't heal you and that you were hiding something from me. I could have pressed you or told Poppy, but I wanted to give you the opportunity to spend time with Minerva. I knew how important that was for you."

"Thank you." Severus sighed. "Have you been in a lot of trouble with Poppy?"

"I see you have already opened our present," he said, changing the subject. His magical eye glanced in the direction of the books.

"Yes, thank you very much. They are very rare, and I have tried to buy them for a while."

"I've heard. I don't understand how you can like to read so much. Quite boring, if you ask me." His magical eye scanned the room and lingered for some time nervously on the door. Then he pulled something out of his pocket; it was a small book. "Here, that's from me, but don't let Poppy see it."

Severus took the book and read the cover. "Cooking for Wizards," Severus murmured. He was a little confused. _Why is he giving me a cookbook? Is this a joke about potions?_ To be safe, he said, "Thank you, this is very…mindful."

"Merlin," Alastor said, growling and rolling his healthy eye. "Touch it with your wand and say 'wicked'."

"What?" Severus looked at Alastor as if he had grown two heads.

Again, Alastor rolled his eye and looked with his magical one at the door. He took his wand out and pointed it at the book. After he had spoken the password, the cover of the book changed and was now showing a sparely clothed woman sprawled out on a green couch. In fine script letters stood over her _How to Pleasure Women_.

Severus felt his face heat up as he read each word. "_Are you crazy, Alastor?_" He tried to cover the almost-naked woman with his hand. Frantically, he looked at the door in fear that Poppy would come back and see what they were doing right now. He felt like a school boy.

Alastor laughed one of his deep, hearty laughs. "I really should have made that bet with Filius that you would turn redder than you ever have."

"You told Filius that you were giving me this?" Severus was shocked and tried not to imagine the two discussing his sex life.

Alastor was having difficulty controlling his laughter. "He helped me to get one of the older copies and set the charm on it. We thought you would prefer the old version. And, Merlin, stop looking so shocked. Almost all men have an edition of this book. It's quite helpful." He grinned at the still-flabbergasted Severus.

"You can turn it back by saying 'Minerva'. Quite helpful if she takes you by surprise while you're reading it."

"Minerva," Severus said, and the book changed back into a cookbook. Slowly, he calmed down. "Merlin, Alastor, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"You really have to become more familiar with this topic, my boy," Alastor chuckled.

"Don't call me that; it reminds me of Albus, and he is the _last person_ I want to think about after you present."

"Okay, okay, _Severus_," Alastor said, still very amused. He stood up, grabbed the book, and said, "Better not let Poppy see it. She found mine a while back, and I fear she may be suspicious if you tell her that you got this as a present from me." He stuffed it between Severus' clothes in the night table.

"Filius would have loved to eat with us, but there has to be some teachers in the Great Hall for the students. He will come by with Pomona this afternoon."

"I have a present for you as well," Severus said while rummaging through the other unshrunken presents he had placed at the end of his bed. "Here."

"For me?" Alastor looked really surprised. He had heard from Charlie that Severus had bought something for Poppy and Minerva, but he did not know that he had something for him as well. "Wow, thank you."

"You haven't even opened it. Maybe it is a 'How to Pleasure Poppy' book." Severus wanted to sound sarcastic, but he felt his face heat up again. _Damn!_

Alastor laughed and opened his present. A little talisman fell out onto the bed. "Oh, a Banshee Banisher! I have tried to get one for ages. Where did you get it?"

"I won't say." Seeing Alastor raise his eyebrow, he added, "it was legal."

Alastor seemed to be satisfied by this and unwrapped the rest of the package. "Oh, so you enjoy our card games, Severus? I'm touched," Alastor said cheekily. "Thank you very much. It's really a nice-looking set of cards and I'm looking forward to our next game."

"Me too, Alastor. Me too," Severus said. He could not stop himself from smirking wickedly at the mental image of the little dark creatures biting Alastor's fingers every time he tried to cheat.

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**Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

_Thanks a lot to my wonderful beta, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my story and improving it._

_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_**Dear readers,**_

_here is the final chapter now. :) I really hope you liked the story and will go on reading the sequel "The Potions Master's Assistant"._

_At the end of this chapter I have a challenge for you!_

_Sunny_

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Chapter 7 – Dining**

Minutes later, Poppy came back with Albus, Rolanda, and Minerva in tow.

"Merry Christmas, Severus," Minerva said, leaning down to kiss him.

"Hmmm." Severus made a sound like a purr and tried to hold Minerva in place when she attempted to end the kiss.

"Severus," she whispered warningly against his lips.

"Just one more, please," Severus pleaded, still not letting go of her and pressing his lips against hers.

"No wonder Poppy instructed all of us to keep an eye on you while you were released. It seems that some of your potions have overactive hormones as side effects," Rolanda teased.

This caused him to let go of Minerva and look at Rolanda. "What a pity that Poppy decided you were harmless enough to visit me. It's beyond my imagination what could have caused this change of mind."

"Unsatisfied sexual desire can lead to a great amount of frustration, Severus. Tsk, tsk. And letting it out on your best friend. That's not nice, Severus," Rolanda said sarcastically.

"Rolanda, I warned you. Behave or I will send you out!" Poppy said warningly. Then she faced Severus. "And you will put on your bathrobe and come to the table." She handed him the bathrobe and pulled slippers out from under the bed.

Severus pulled on the bathrobe with Minerva's help and tossed the bed covers back. When he let his feet dangle over the edge of the bed, his eyes fell on green socks with little red snakes on it. "Albus?!" Severus growled.

"Oh, we didn't want to break tradition, did we?" Albus said, chuckling.

_Damn the old codger. How does he know that I wear this first pair of socks he ever gave me every Christmas night? And I thought I had hidden them deep down in my drawer._ "You broke into my quarters?"

Albus' eyes were twinkling. "I'm the headmaster of this school, so only a simple Summoning Charm was necessary to get them."

The little snakes were moving frantically when Poppy helped him into the slippers.

Rolanda had climbed onto the bed and was now kneeling beside Severus, looking down at his feet. "Oh, so cute. You told me you had thrown them away."

"Humph." Severus was annoyed that they all had seen his stupid yet beloved socks.

"Down from the bed, Rolanda," Poppy ordered.

"Yes, Mother," she said cheekily and crawled down from the bed.

Minutes later, they were chatting happily at the dining table and enjoying their meal. Thanks to the Strengthening Potion, Severus felt full of energy.

"Have you already spoken with Charlie, Severus?" Albus asked.

"Yes, he will take over my classes until Poppy lets me teach again, and he helps brew for the hospital wing. Nevertheless I hope that I'll be released soon." He gazed nervously over to Poppy.

"We will speak about this in two days if your temperature is down and you have rested a little more."

All Severus did after this comment was roll his eyes. "Now, now, behave, my boy. Poppy only has your best interest in mind," Albus scolded him.

The rest of the meal passed uneventful, and soon they were all full and satisfied.

"Let's unpack the presents," Rolanda said as she jumped up from her chair and headed in the direction of the table of Severus' presents. On her way, she patted Severus playfully on his head to gesture him to follow.

"You are such a child, Ro," he said, but could not suppress an amused smile. "Start bouncing up and down in front of the presents, and I will call for the mental emergency service."

"Like this?" Rolanda started to bounce on the spot and clap her hands. When she tilted her head sideways and fluttered her eyelashes, Severus could not help but laugh out loud.

"Yes, exactly like that. And you really ask yourself why Poppy did not let you visit me before?"

_It feels so good to have her around._ He could feel easy around her. It was a good change from always feeling like a boy around the others.

The others had followed them and were now watching Severus unwrap his presents. He got tickets for the next Montrose Magpies game, his favorite Quidditch team, from Rolanda. Albus had given him a scarf matching his socks and there was also a present from Charlie under them. He had given him a fiberglass stirrer. Severus had to grin because he had sent Charlie one of the new fiberglass cauldrons for Christmas. _We really seem to have much in common._

Minerva's present was the last he opened. She had presented him with a very rare edition of _Potions of the Middle Age_s. It was a great gift, and Severus let his fingers wander over the leather cover. "Thank you." He turned to her and kissed her, quickly this time because he knew she did not want to attract attention.

"I have something for you as well," Severus said, leading the group over to his bed. He handed Albus and Rolanda their gifts, but kept Minerva's in his hand.

Rolanda was thrilled by the Chudley Cannons scarf and hat. "Oh, so have you given up trying to persuade me to favor your Montrose Magpies instead of the Cannons?"

"Yes, it is useless to reason with you, and you will see in the end that the Magpies are much better than the Cannons."

"Dream on!" Rolanda replied.

Albus grinned madly at the latest pair of ugly socks Severus had bought for him. He really enjoyed their little game and was quite found of the socks Severus gave him every year. Immediately, he bent over and put them on.

"Merlin, Albus. I hoped that after passing out yesterday, I would have been spared one Christmas of your childish behavior. Must you put the socks on the moment you get them in your hands?" He rolled his eyes, but inwardly, he loved Albus for doing it.

"They fit me very well," Albus said while wiggling his toes in the socks. That made them all chuckle.

Minerva had sat down beside Severus while Albus was pulling on his socks. She snuck one arm around him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I think you would prefer to give your present to Minerva in private. So let's say goodbye," Poppy said, and she ushered the others out of the infirmary.

When they were alone, Severus handed Minerva her present. She needed both hands to open it and removed her arm from Severus' waist. He immediately missed her warm touch.

"It is so beautiful, Severus. I don't know what to say," she said, admiring the beautiful pendant.

"Then don't say anything. Just kiss me, Minerva," he said seductively.

"You are unbelievable, Severus." Minerva laughed, but then leaned over to kiss him. When she ended the kiss, she whispered, breathless, "And I love you so much for it."

"Not as much as I love you, Minerva." With that, he pulled her into another passionate kiss.

**FINITE**

_You can read more in the sequel, "The Potions Master's Assistant," which you can find here at !_

_**Please review!**_

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Challenge: **

_Write a story for me and I write one for you regarding your plot wishes. _

_**Rules:**_

Main rule:

_The story has to be about a friendship between Alastor and Severus (friendship!/ No slash!). No character death please!  
_

Pairing:

_What ever you want. Het/Slash/Femslash. I don't care but no Alastor/Severus!_

Other characters:

_I would love when Poppy and Albus would be included in the fic, but it is not necessary. _

Genre:

_all; even when I prefer Hurt/Comfort _

Special

_You can use one of my stories for the background if you want. It could be like a missing scene of the "Taking Care" series or "A better Childhood"! But you can also write something totally different.  
_

_So if you have written one and uploaded it (here or at another fan fiction site), let me know and tell me what kind of story you want me to write for you! I will do my best! :)_


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